Driving-gear for motor-vehicles.



No. 695,808. Patented Mar. I8, |902.

A. GOVAN. DRIVING GEAR FORKMOTOB VEHICLES.

(Application filed Oct. 17. 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Modal.)

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Tm v IILIJI No. 695,308. Patented Mar. la, |902.

A. GovAN.

DRIVING GEAR FOB MUTOR VEHICLES.

v(Appflictirm led Oct. 17, 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 695,808. Patented Mar. I8, |902.

A. GUVAN.

DRIVING GEAR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

(Application lad Oct. 17, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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ALEXANDER oovAN, or BRIDGETON, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

DRIVING-GEAR FOR MO`TOR=VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,808, dated March18, 1902. Application iiled Octobcr17,1901. Serial No. 79,032. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it' may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER GOVAN, a citizen of the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at 47 Hozier street, Bridgeton,Glasgow, Scotland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDriving-Gear for Motor-Vehicles and the Like, (for which application forpatent has been made in Great Britain, No. 5,945, dated March 21, 1901,)of which the following is a specification.

This invention, which relates to drivinggear for motor-vehicles and thelike, has for its object to provide simple and compact gear fortransmitting motion from a driving to a driven shaft at varying rates ofspeed and for throwing out of gear to stop the motor and for reversingits direction of travel, the several changes being effected andcontrolled, preferably, by means of a single lever-handle.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure lis a horizontal longitudinal section, and Fig.2 a transversevertical section through the casing or gear-box, of a motor-car. Fig. 3is an elevation of a detail hereinafter particularly referred to.

As shown by these drawings, the several gear-wheels are contained withina dust-eX- cluding box or casing A, through which the motor-shaft Bpasses at one end and is entered by the end of the driven shaft C, whichlatter shaft passes through the other end of the box A, both shaftsbeing by preference supported in journal-bearings A' in the box ends.The principal wheel of the train is a spur-wheel D, arranged to slide onfeathers on the driven shaft C and having clutch-faces D' D2, so that itis capable of being clutched in turn to a spur-wheel B' on the end ofthe driving or motor shaft B, to a loose wheel E upon its own shaft C,or geared with a spurwheel F on a counter-shaft F'. This wheel Dbeingshown on the drawings as out ofgear with either of the wheels B',E, or F, the gearing is in that position known as the free-wheelposition-JL'. e., the motor is acting through the spur-wheel B' on themotor-shaftB, a spurwheel G on the counter-shaft F', through anotherspnr-wheel H on this shaft F' to a spurwheel E on the driven shaft C,and as this latter wheel is loose upon its shaft the car is at astandstill. iVhcn the car is to be driven at the ordinary speed-4,'. e.,such as is desirable on level or approximately level roadsthe slidingclutch-faced spur-wheel D is brought, by means hereinafter described, sothat its clutch-face D' engages with the clutchface B2 of the wheel B'on the motor-shaft B, the shaft C being thus driven directly and at thespeed of the motor and the counter--shaft running idly, because of theloose condition of the wheel E on the driven shaft C. When the car is tobe driven at a medium speed suitable for ascending inclines or when aslightly-increased power is required, the sliding wheel D is broughtwith its clutch-face D2 into engagement with a clutch-face E' on theloose wheel E on the driven shaft C, the speed of the motor beingtransmitted from the wheel B' through the larger spur-Wheel G on thecounter-shaft F', whereby the motor speed is reduced and the powerincreased proportionately to the diameters of the wheels B' and G, therotation of the counter-shaft being transmitted to the driven shaft Cthrough the wheel I-I at its other end by means of the loose wheel E,now clutched to the spur-wheel D. Then a still slower speed or greaterpower of the driven shaft is required, the clutch is moved back to itsmid-position, as shown at Fig. 1, out of engagement with eitherclutch-face B2 E', and the spur-wheel F on the counter-shaft F' istraversed, so that it gears A with the spur-wheel D, whereupon thespeed` of the motor is transmitted by the wheel B' on the motor-shaft,the wheels G and F on the counter-shaft F', and the spur-wheel D on tothe driven shaft C and at a reduction of speed and increase of power dueto the relative diameters of the gear-wheels. The strain of agreatly-increased power being then distrib uted over a train of wheels,there is consequently less wear and tear upon the gearing. Vhen thedirection of motion of the driven shaft C is to be reversed for thepurpose of reversing the direction of travel of the car, the spur-wheelF on the counter-shaft F is moved out of gear with the spur-wheel D onthe driven shaft C and into the position shown at Fig. 1, and a loosepinion J, carried on an eccentric stud or short shaft K, having itsbearings in lugs on the coverL of the casing A, is thrown, by means of alever-arm'M, into engagement with the spur-wheel D on the IOO drivenshaft C and with the sliding pinion ou the counter-shaft F', as shown infull lines at Fig. 2 and inV dotted lines at Fig. l, so that said shaftF' drives the spur-wheel D and the driven shaft C in the same directionas the counter-shaft F', which latter direction is the reverse of thedriving-shaft. The loose intermediate or reversing pinion J is kept ingearby the eccentricity of its stud and the action of the rotatingwheels with which it is in gear.

The several changes of gear may be eected by separate hand-levers but bya further improvement a single hand-lever is arranged to change thegear. This lever is mounted on a 'shaft N, on whose bearings an ordinarynotched or suitablygraduated quadrant is fixed, and on the shaft N iskeyed a pair of cam-levers or, as shown at Figs. 2 and 3, a singlecam-lever O, having two rims or flanges, each of which is formed with aslot O O2, respectively, each slot being throughout about half itslength an arc of a circle whose center is the axis of the hand-levershaft, While the other portions O3 O4 of the slots act as cams, the camportions O3 O4 of the slots being at opposite ends of the rims orflanges. Inl one slotpO is fitted a pin P on the end of a lever P, fixedon a hollow rock-shaft P2, having on it the lever P2, which throws theclutch-faced wheel D into gear with the driving-wheel B or the freewheel E to obtain the higher speed or intermediate speed of the drivenshaft C, and in the slot O2 of the other rim or flange is the pin Q' ofa second lever Q, fixed on a solid rock-shaft Q2, extending through thehollow shaft P2 and having on it the lever Q2, which effects the slidingmovement of the spur-wheel F on the counter-shaft F. The quadrant andhand-lever are so arranged in relation to the slots of the cam-lever Ovthat in one position of the hand-lever the levers P Q on the rock-shaftsP2 Q2 are in line, the pins P Q being in eccentric portions of the slotsand the driving mechanism out of gear. On a forward movement of thehand-lever to one notch the cam-lever acts on the hollow rock-shaft P2to throw over the clutch-lever P3, and consequently gear theclutch-faced wheel D with the wheel B on thel driving-shaft, while thelever-pin Q' on the solid rock-shaft Q2, being in a concentric portionof its slot, is not acted on, and the driven shaft is rotated at itshighest speed. On drawing the hand-lever in the opposite di- 'rectioninto one notch the intermediate speed isfobtained and on moving it toanother notch the slowest speed is reached, owing to the solidrock-shaft Q2 being acted on.

The above-described driving-gear has the following advantages: that `itallows of a central drive-t. e., the driven shaft being ar-l ranged inline with the motor-shaft-irrespective of the train of wheels employed,and when the driven shaft is geared direct to the driving-shaft (whichcondition exists during seventy-five per cent. of the running time) theother gearing is running idle. The strain and wear upon the gearing aredistributed over two pairs of spur-wheels when the medium and slow gearsare employed, and consequently the life of the gearing is enormouslyincreased. It is obvious that such an arrangement of driving-gear isapplicable for other purposes than driving motor-cars, its constructionbeing no wise altered excepting in regard to the relative proportions ofthe gear-wheels as circumstances demand.

Having now described the invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, iss-- l. In a driving-gear, the combination with amotor-shaft and a driven shaft in line therewith, of a spur-wheel faston the motor-shaft, a clutch-faced spur-wheel fast on the driven shaftand adapted to slide into engagement with said spur-wheel, a freespur-wheel on the driven shaft, adapted to be engaged by theslidingspur-wheel, a counter-shaft, spurwheels `fast thereon, meshing with thelspurwheels on the motor and driven shafts, a sliding spur-wheel on thecounter-shaft adapted to be thrown intov'and out of gear with theclutch-faced spur-wheel, and an intermediate or reversing spur-wheelcapable of being geared with the clutch-faced spur-wheel and with thesliding spur-wheel on the countershaft, substantially as set forth.

2. In a driving-gear, the combination with a motor-shaft and a drivenshaft in line therewith, of a spur-wheel fast on the motor-shaft, aclutch-faced spur-wheel fast on the driven shaft and adapted to slideinto engagement with said spur-wheel, a free spur-wheel on the drivenshaft, adapted to be engaged by the sliding spur-wheel, a counter-shaft,spurwheels fast thereon, meshing with the spurwheels on the motor anddriven shafts, and a sliding spur-wheel on the counter-shaft adapted tobe thrown into and out of gear with the clutch-faced spur-wheel.

3. The combination of the driving-shaft, a counter-shaft, connectionsbetween the driving-shaft and the counter-shaft, a driven shaft, aspur-wheel carried by the driven shaft, a sliding spur-wheel carried bythe counter-shaft and adapted to be thrown into engagement with thespur-wheel on the driven shaft, and a spur-wheel adapted to be throwninto engagement with the spur-wheel on the driven shaft and the slidingspur-wheel on the counter-shaft, to reverse the motion of the drivenshaft.

f4. The combination of the driving-shaft, a counter-shaft, connectionbetween the driving-shaft and counter-shaft, a drivenshaft, a slidingspurwheel carried thereby and adapted to be thrown into engagement withthe driving-shaft, a sliding spur-wheel carried by the counter-shaft andadapted to be thrown into engagement with the sliding spurwheel on thedriven sha-ft, and a spur-wheel adapted to be thrown into engagementwith the sliding spur-wheel on the counter-shaft IOO IIO

and the sliding spur-wheel on the driven shaft to reverse the motion ofthe latter shaft.

5. The combination of a driving-shaft, a spur-wheel carried by thedriving-shaft, a counter-shaft, a spur-wheel mounted on the counter-shaft, connecting with the spurwheel on the driving-shaft; a drivenshaft, a spur mounted loosely on the driven shaft, connection betweenthe counter-shaft and the loosely-mounted spur-wheel on the drivenshaft, and a clutch carried by the driven shaft and adapted forengagement with the drivingshaft or for engagement with thelooselymounted spur-wheel on the driven shaft.

6. In a driving-gear, the combination of a longitudinally-shiftablegear, a lever connected thereto, a rock-shaft to which the said lever isconnected, a lever carrying studs, also connected to the rook-shaft, anda lever provided with Cam-shaped slots in which the pins work, and meansfor shifting the slotted lever to shift the gear-wheel.

7. The Combination of a plurality of shiftable gear-wheels, leversconnected to each gear-wheel, a rook-shaft to which each of said leversis connected, a lever provided with a pin connected to eaoh rock-shaft,and a lever having a plurality of cam-slots in which the pins of thelast-mentioned levers work, and means for shifting the slotted lever toshift the sliding spur-wheels.

8. The combination of two longitudinallyshiftable gear-wheels, a leverconnected to each gearwheel, a hollow rock-shaft connected to one ofsaid levers, a rock-shaft connected to the other lever and mountedwithin the hollow rook-shaft, a lever carrying a pin conneeted to eachof said rock-shafts, a lever provided with a plurality of cam-slots, inwhich the pin works, and means for shifting the slotted lever to shiftthe gears.

9. The combination of a driving-shaft, a spur-wheel carried thereby, acounter-shaft, a spur-wheel carried by the counter-shaft, connectingwith the spur-wheel on the driving-shaft, a driven shaft in alinementwith the drivin g-shaft,a spur-wheel loosely mounted on the drivenshaft, a second spur-wheel mounted on the counter-shaft, connecting withthe loosely-mounted spur-wheel on the driven shaft, a sliding clutchspur-wheel on the driven shaft adapted for engagement with thedriving-shaft or with the loosely-mounted spur-wheel on the drivenshaft, a sliding spurwheel on the counter-shaft, a hollow rockshaft,connections between the hollow rockshaft and the sliding clutchspur-wheel on the driven shaft, arock-shaft mounted within the hollowrock-shaft and connected with the sliding spur-wheel on thecounter-sl1aft, a lever carrying pins, connected to each of therock-shafts, a lever provided with cam-slots in which the pins work, andmeans for shift-v ing the slotted lever to shift the sliding spurwheels.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

ALEXANDER GovAN.

lVitnesses:

WALLACE FAIEWEATHER, JNO. ARMSTRONG, .I r.

